MMA Can you guys explain how the system works for moving up belts?

I remember taking some karate classes when I was younger, but I didn't pay much attention to how advancement worked. Can someone explain how people can advance to black belt while others are still on various other belts?

I just remember having to wait forever to finally get to spar

If I could have done it all over again, I would have enrolled at a boxing gym

Unlike most traditional martial arts like karate, tkd, etc, there is rarely a single "belt test" given for the belt. The instructor has to analyze the student and guage where he is at in terms of technique knowledge, transitions, fluidity, ability to apply technique live, escapes/reversals, etc. Once he believes the student is ready then the belt is just given. It also usually only applies to training with the gi on, as the tournaments are seperated according to belt rank.

In terms of "no gi" tournaments are divided like : novice, beginner, intermediate, advanced, absolute, and I think there is a professional division... not sure on that one.

You don't necessarily have to beat every white belt in order to get your blue, but the instructor will think along the lines of: If they were both the same size, or had that guy been 20 years younger, what would have happened?

give it time and I'm sure you will see lots of BJJ places giving out belts like candy

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well maybe in the future they will be given out easier, but I doubt that the prestige will be lost. BJJ's main attraction is that it works for sure, and is practiced live. And every single belt has a lineage that can be traced, so that if a shitty guy gets a belt it looks bad for the instructor and the instructor above him

give it time and I'm sure you will see lots of BJJ places giving out belts like candy

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actually if you gave your belts away like candy.. all your students would get crushed in the tournaments. in BJJ you see instructors giving belts SLOWER than they should. It's the opposite problem. The star students stay blue and purple belts FOREVER.